Match making machine



March 19, 1935. w. c. HUGULEY MATCH MAKING MACHINE Filed Jan. 15, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 'L E L Mmh 19, 1935. w, c, HUGULEY 1,994,997

I MATCH MAKING MACHINE Filed Jan. 13, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q 063 fififowg March 19, 1935. w. c. HUGUL EY MATCH MAKING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 13, 1934 W. C. HUGULEY MATCH MAKING MACHINE March 19, 1935- Filed Jan. 13, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 m WM 4 17. IQ p; 0 g

w. 'c. HUGULEY Y -1,994,997 MATCH MAKING MACHINE March 19, 1935.

5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 13, 1934 Patented Mar. 19, 1935 V UNITED sra'rss rarest oFFicE MATCH MAKING MACHINE William Cromwell Huguley, Oak Tree, N. J. Application January 13, 1934, Serial No. 706,573

6 Claims. (Cl. M L-i) This invention relates to the manufacture of matches, more especially strip or sheet matches for use in the production of so-called book matches.

5 The principal object of my invention is to accomplish the rapid and efficient slitting of card or sheet material to produce rows of match splints having smooth upper and lower surfaces with their longitudinal corners uniformly rounded, such splints thus presenting a neat and attractive appearance whetherviewed from the face or from the back,. as contradistinguished from splints heretofore produced which, in most cases, have been rough in appearance with sharp corners or, at best, have been finished with only the front or displayed side smooth with rounded corners, the backs or under sides of the splints, when assembled in book form, bein rough and having sharp ragged corners.

A further object of my invention is to provide simple and efiicient means whereby rows of alternate splints of a match strip after it isinserted in a carrier, preparatory to the transportation of the strip to the dipping mechanism, are laterally deflected equal distances and in opposite directions from the normal planeof the strip in a manner to ensure the uniform positioning of the free ends of the respective splints and the'consequent formation of regular match heads thereon.

With these and other objects in view my invention comprises features of novelty which will be hereinafter described, the scope of the invention being expressed in the'appended claims.

One embodiment of the invention is shown in the annexed drawings, in which Figure l is a front elevation, partly in section, of m chanisms for longitudinally slitting suc- 4 seeding areas of the sheet material, severing the material into succeeding match splint cards and introducing such cards into a carrierrby means of which they are transported to and past the dipping stations, showing a portion of the said carrier and also the devices in co-operative relation thereto for staggering the alternate splints of each succeeding card.

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section, partly in elevation, in a plane forward of the first slitting head, as on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a similar section in a plane through the receiving end of the match strip carrier, as on the line 3-3 of Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a plan of the longitudinal slitting and transverse severing mechanism, the adjacent end the match stock is at rest the head descends and of the carrier being shownin section with a strip of splints inserted in the holder.

Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section through the first or upper slitting head as in down or active position in relation to the match stock. 5

Fig. 6 is a similar view of the second or lower slitting head, showing the match stock as incised thereby.

Fig. 7 is a horizontal section in a plane directly above the lower slitting head, as on the line 7,'7 10 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a detail showing the splint spreading head in section, and as engaging the splints of twoadjacent splint strips in the carrier, the supporting and actuating devices for said head being in- 15 dicated. a v

V Fig. 9 is a transverse section through a part of the splint spreadinghead, as on the line 99 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a strip of splints. 20

Referring tothe drawings, 15 designates a supporting frame including a horizontal bed 16 above and across which a web 1'? of, match stock, (both sides of which may be waxed, if desired) is intermittently fed from a suitable roll (not shown) 25 by a pair of feed rollers 18, each step of the web being equal to the width of a match or splint strip,- that is to say, a strip having an uncut marginal portion a and a ,row of parallel match splints 1) extending therefrom. (See Fig. 10),.

19 designates a cross-head slidably mounted in vertical guide members 20 on the bed, and reciprocable in timed relation to the intermittent travelof the match stock; that is to say, when 35 rises, remaining in raised position until'the stock has made a succeeding step, and so on,

In the present instance the head 19 is equipped with a transverse shaft 21 from the ends, ofwhich depend vertical plunger bars 22 having their lower ends bifurcated and slidably fitted for guidance on a lower power driven shaft23. The latter shaft,- which has its bearings in boxes in the sides of the main frame, has fast thereon a pair of counterpart face cams 24 in'the races of which are fitted rolls 25 on the respective bars 22, the contour of the cam races being designed to effect the requisite vertical reciprocation of the bars and the cross-head. I

As the web leaves the feed rolls 18 it is guided horizontaliy by and between the upper surface of a base plate 26 fixed on. the bed and a recessed top plate 27 which is secured to the base-plate, such plates thus preventing the buckling of the advancing stock. Thence the stock progresses 55 to an incising station, including a fiat top block 28 fast on the bed, and a vertically reciprocating gang of parallel slitting knives 29 which overhang the block. These knives fixedly depend from a bar 30 which extends transversely of and is fastened to a plate 31 on the underside of the vertically reciprocating head 19, the plate being detachably secured to the head 19 by clamp bars 32. The knives have oppositely-beveled cutting edges 33 in the same horizontal plane, which edges in each dwell of the stock descend into and incise the upper opposing surface of the stock approximately half-way therethrough and longitudinally of the stock in equally spaced parallel lines in accordance with the width and length of the match splints to be produced. The beveled edges 33 of the knives efiectually compress and round the opposing edges of the stock during the splint incising operation, as seen in Fig. 5, which result may be facilitated by the prewaxing of the surfaces of the' material, if desired. The leading end of the stock is left uncut to provide the integral marginal or base portion a of the match strip.

In the intermittent progress of the match stock the partially incised section of the sheet is positioned at a second incising station immediately above a gang of upstanding slitting knives 34 assembled similarly to the knives 29 in a bar 35 which is mounted on the bed in spaced parallel relation to the block 28. The knives 34 correspond in form, direction and spaced relation with the knives 29 and are spaced a sufiicient distance from the latter to underlie'directly the spaced incisions previously formed in the top of the stock. overlying the knives 34 at the second incising station is a flat faced block 36 which is afllxed to the plate 31 on the reciprocating head 19. This block in the descent of the head 19 bears fiatwise upon the opposing stock (which is at rest) and forces it downward andinto the oppositely-beveled cutting edges of the knives 34, which knives thus incise the under surface of the stock correspondingly with and in registry with the incisions of the upper surface, thus completing the through slitting of a splint area of the stock. Consequently the splint lengths formed in the stock by the complementary cutting edges of the upper and lower gangs of knives present fiat upper and lower surfaces (0) with rounded longitudinal corners (d) throughout their length. The leading unslitted end portion of the stock, after the splint lengths have been formed therein, progresses beyond the bed 16 and into the grip of one of the splint holders 3'7 of an intermittently movable endless chain 38 of holders of any usual or approved construction, which chain at this juncture is at rest and a strip holder thereof is in line horizontally with the advancing stock. The material is uncut in the spaces between the adjacent splint areas so as to provide each succeeding row of splints with an integral marginal or base portion when it is severed from the web, as will now be described.

The stock in its movement toward the strip holder of the carrier 38 passes between a pair of co -acting transverse cutter blades, one (39) of which is secured to a block 40 on the bed 16, and the other (41) to a block 42 on the plate 31 of the reciprocating head 19.

.The knives 39 and 41 are so spaced from the splint strip carrier, that when the uncut leading end (a) of the stock is engaged with the opposing strip holder, the trailing end of the adjacent slitted portion of the stock is situated between the cutters 39 and 41, and hence when the cross-head 19 descends a match strip consisting of a base portion having a row of outwardly projecting splints of the cross-section described is severed from the stock. This done the carrier moves one step to position another strip holder 37 in the path of the marginal portion of the next succeeding slitted section of the stock advanced by the feed rolls, and such slitted section is severed from the stock by the cutters Y39 and 41, and so on during each step of the stock. r

' A transversely extending presser bar 43 backed by a spring or springs 44 is mounted in a slot 45 in the block 42 of the head plate 31. This bar bears resiliently upon the opposing stock and holds it firmly against the face of the underlying block 40 during the descent of the head and the severance of the match strip from the stock, thus obviating all liability of displacement of the stock by the action of the cutters 39 and 41 there- Stationary transverse guide plates 46 and 47 overlie the path of the stock rearwardly of the respective gangs of slitting knives and insure its direct passage through the respective slitting stations, which plates are secured at their ends to suitably-disposed marginal bars 48 fast on the bed 16.

Beneath the path of the stock under the re bed maintain such plates normally raised. These plates are depressed by the action of the stock thereon in the descent of the head 19 during the slitting operations, and then in the ascent of the head such plates resume their normal position, thus acting as strippers to raise the slitted stock clear of the lower knives 34.

As shown the receiving end of the match strip carrier passes around sprocket wheels 54 on a cross-shaft 55 having its bearings in brackets 56 on the main frame. equipped with a bevel Wheel 57 which meshes with a similar wheel 58 on the upper end of an inclined shaft 59 mounted in a suitably disposed bearing 60. On the lower end of the shaft 59 is a pin wheel 61 whereof the teeth are successively engaged by a cam wheel 62 on the main shaft 23 in'the usual manner to efiect the requisite intermittent travel of the strip carrier.

As a simple and efiicient means correspondingly to spread or laterally deflect the alternate I splints of each succeeding strip in the intermittently traveling carrier, from the normal vertical plane of the associated splints, and then similarly deflect the remaining splints of the strip to an equal extent in the opposite direction, thereby insuring the uniform presentation of the free extremities of the traveling splints to the clipping roll or other composition-applying device of the match machine, I arrange below the carrier a vertically movable spreader nal rows of equally spaced teeth 64 which taper upwardly from the respective sides of the bar. The teeth of one row are in alternation with the teeth of the other row, and the teeth of the two rows correspond in number and position One end of this shaft is his I means? with the splintsof .-a match strip, so that when :the carrier is at rest and the head 6-3 israised into the space between the splints' iof :two de- -pending strips, one of the rowso-f teeth presses laterally against and spreads the eppos-ing alter- .znate splints of tone strip and the other row of teeth :presses against and --spreads the ppposing alternate splints of the other strip, as indicated in Figs. 1, 8 and 9. The spreader head is then lowered and the carrier :is moved another step, whereupon the head is again raised, thus spreading in an opposite direction-the remaining opposing alternate splints of one of the-strips previously acted upon by the spreader and at the same time spreading the alternate splints of the next succeeding match strip. In each dwell of the carrier the spreader -head is raised and lowered, the teeth thereof thus acting upon the opposing alternate splints of adjacent match strips.

Any suitable means for raising and lowerin the spreader head in timed relation to the strip carrier may be employed. In the'present inhearings in brackets 70 onthe main frame. The shaft .69 is equipped at one end with abevel gear 71 in mesh with a similargear m on the lower end of an inclined shaf-t 73 having its bearings-in a suitably-disposed bracket 'll; The upper end of the shaft *ZBbears a bevel-gear '76 in mesh with a similar gear '75 on the adjacent-end of the intermittently driven shaft 55 for'the sprockets 54 of the strip carrier, andltherefore during the rotation of the shaft 55similar motion is transmitted to the shaft .68 and its cam 68. The contour of the cam surface is such that during the intermittent rotation ofthe cam the rock arm 65 and the spreader 63 are raised and lowered in timed relation to the strip carrier.

The operation of the foregoing described machine is briefly as follows:

The web of match stock which is delivered to the feed rollers 18 is intermittently fed thereby to and between the horizontal guide plates 26 and 27 and through the succeeding incising paths, each step of the web being equal to the width of a match strip or comb. When the material reaches and dwells at the first incising position on top of the block 28, the knives 29 descend and their oppositely-beveled edges penetrate the upper surface of the material approximately half-way therethrough, thus producing rounded longitudinal corners in the upper portions of the respective incisions. The portion of the material thus incised then advances under the guide plate 47 and to a position under the block 36, whereupon the latter, in the down stroke of the cross-head l9, presses the material down upon the oppositely-beveled edges of the knives 34, thus completing the slitting of the partially slitted area of the material. As the material is pressed down it causesthe strippers 50 and 49 to be depressed against the action of the respective underlying springs 53, and when, in the up-stroke ofthe'cross-head, the block 36 rises the strippers are raised by the expansion of the springs thus causing the longitudinally slitted area of the material to be raised above and clear of the knives 34. This slitted portion end has progressed between the-cutters 39 and 41 and beyond' the press such end is=forcedinto the opposing holder 3-? of :the carrier 38 by the longitudinal pressure exerted on the material by the feed rollers 918. Thisdone, the knife 41 :deseends and in conjunction with the 1kni'fe 39 kcuts off a definite 'lengthof the material across the trailing end of the leading slitted area.

During each upward stroke of the cross-head 19 of the press the material is fed ahead one step "by the "feed rollers, and during .e'ach downward stroke of the cross-head the upper and lower surfaces of the =material are incised by the f respective -gangs' oif knives, and a match strip or comb is cutoff by the transverse cutters.

The sprockets 5A are intermittently rotated in timed relation to'the feed-of the material and v the =reciprocationofthe cross-head so as tocause a vacant'hol'der 37 of the carrier to be advanced and properlypositionedtoreceive the leading end of the slitted" material preparatory to the transverse severing operation The match comics with thesplints thereof depending from ithe carrier are carried to a position above'the lower plane of the spreader -63, and during the dwell of the carrier the spreader is raised into the space between two adjacent match combs in a'manner to spread the alternate splints of the respective combsj'whereupon' the spreader descends below the-path or" the match strips. In

flthe'] neXt succeeding step of the carrier the spreader again rises and spreads in an opposite remaining. opposing alternate a:

direction the splints of oneof the strips, and at the same time the spreader deflects the alternate splints. ef the'next succeeding match comb: 'The match splints of each succeeding strip are deflected an equal-extent in both directionsf-romthe normal press a complete match strip or comb is proprogresses under' the guide plate I 456 and then :under the block-42, and the-uncut leading duced and inserted in the carrier, and at the same time the splints'of adjacent strips previously formed and inserted in the carrier are regpositely-beveled cutting edge, supports for said L material above and below the cutting edges of the respective gangs of knives, and means whereby relative movement of each gang of knives and the associated support is effected to incise the I opposing surface of the material approximately W half way 'therethrough andat the same time round the longitudinal corners of the incised splint sections, said means including mechanism whereby such incision movement is effected in timed relation to the feed of the material so that when the area incised by the first gang of knives progresses to the second gang of knives the latter similarly incise-the opposing surface ofthe material in lines corresponding with-and in registry with the first-formed incisions.

V- 2. The combination with means i for feeding sheet material suitable for match splints, of a flat support for said material extending transversely of its path, a vertically reciprocating head overhanging said support, a gang oflaterally-spaced knives dependingfrom said head and extending transversely of the path of the material, each knife having a longitudinally extending and an oppositely-beveled cutting edge, a gang of stationary similarly spaced knives having up-standing-oppositely-beveled cuttingedges directly below the path of the material and in spaced relation to the said support, a pressure member carried by the head and reciprocable thereby toward and from the latter gangof knives, and means for reciprohanging said support, a gang of laterally-spaced knives depending-from said head and extending transversely of the'path of the material, each knife having a longitudinally extending and an'oppositely-beveled cutting edge, a'gang of stationary similarly-spaced knives having up-standing' op-i positely-beveled cutting edges directly below the path of the material and in spaced relationto the said support, a pressure member carried by the head and reciprocable therebytoward and from the latter gang of knives, meansfor reciprocating said head in timed relation to the feed of the matterial to effect the incision of the upperand lower surfaces of the material in succeeding order by the respective gangs of knives andthe rounding of the longitudinal corners'of the incised splint sections,

and resilient means for'stripping the incised area of the material'from the second gang of knives.

4. The combination with means for forming rowsof match splints,-and a carrier having a successionrof spaced holders each constructedto receive the basal end of arow of splints progressing fromthe splint forming means, of a splint spreador having alternately disposed teeth on its respective sides, and means for moving said spreader longitudinally of the splints and into and from the space between adjacent rows of splints, whereby the said teeth laterally deflect the opposing alternate splints of the adjacent rows on the carrier. v

5. The combinationwith a carrier having a succession of spaced holders each constructed to receive the basal end of a row of match splints, of a splint spreader extending below and transversely of the path of the free ends of the splints and having alternately disposed teeth on its respective sides, and means for moving said spreader longitudinally of the splints and into and from the space between adjacent rows of splints, whereby the said teeth laterally deflect the opposing alternate splints of the adjacent rows on the carrier. 6.1A method of forming match splints from sheet material, comprising instantly incising one surfaceco'f the material approximately half-way therethrough throughout an extended area in spacedlines extending longitudinally of the material to f-ormipartially .cut splint lengths, simultaneously compressing the outer longitudinal edges of said partially cut lengths during the incision thereof, and then reversely incising the other surface of the material correspondingly with and in,registry with the incisions of the firstmentioned surface and at the sametimeicompressing the outer longitudinal edges of thereversely incised lengths, thereby completingithe through slitting of the material and forming splint lengths having rounded longitudinal corners at their'upper and lower surfaces.

{ WILLIAM CROMWELL HUGULEY. 

